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DSM publishes report on sugar in dairy

21 Sep 2015

An international survey by DSM, the results of which the company has published as one of its Global Insights reports, reveals that consumers are eating more sugared dairy products than before, and also just how knowledgeable consumers are regarding the sugar content of their dairy products. The report explores to what degree this influences their […]

An international survey by DSM, the results of which the company has published as one of its Global Insights reports, reveals that consumers are eating more sugared dairy products than before, and also just how knowledgeable consumers are regarding the sugar content of their dairy products. The report explores to what degree this influences their buying decisions.

From flavoured milks to fruit-filled yogurts, dairy can be a nutrient-rich staple of a healthy diet or a sugar-packed calorific treat, DSM notes. However, when it comes to choosing dairy products: how much do consumers really know and care about sugar content? Does the craving for a sweet taste outweigh health and weight concerns?

Delving into consumers’ preferences around flavoured milk, spoonable yogurt and drinking yogurt, those who took part in the survey revealed that overall they had increased their consumption of sugared dairy products versus three years previously. This was particularly apparent in China, a key growth market for all dairy, where 50% of consumers reportedly increased their intake of these products during the three-year period. Interest was also strong among adults in the USA (40%) and Brazil (37%), but was more modest in Spain (23%) and Germany (20%). This is despite growing concerns that our increasingly sugary diet is not only to blame for a global increase in health problems such as diabetes and obesity, DSM says, but also that these foodstuffs are gradually usurping nutritious, high-fibre options in people’s diets. These issues were explored in greater depth in the previous publication in the DSM Global Insight Series ‘Understanding consumer preference for low-calorie and low-sugar products.’